Ahh…BREAKFAST. Possibly my fave meal of the day.

My fam always has a great one. Today we had pancakes and eggs. I had a blueberry pancake and a banana pancake, plus a wee bit of scrambled eggs, syrup for the pancakes (in a separate dish because I don’t like them getting soggy) and cantaloupe.

Other fave thing about being home with my parents – the relaxation time. I feel like I get so wound up just living life some days that I forget to let go and relax and lay around and do nothing once in awhile.

Luckily, Bailey tries to help remind me that sometimes a good cuddle is time well-spent.

I hit up my parents’ sunroom for some more leisure time with some new books.

I found a nice spot in the warm and sunny room.

Perfect for flipping through my new cookbooks. My mom found these at TJ Maxx and couldn’t resist completing my Ina Garten collection of cookbooks.

The only downside of having cookbooks, IMO, is that I feel like I never get around to actually using them.

So, I’m determined to that, starting with these 3, I will cook up some of the recipes in the books I have.

I used sticky notes to mark my favorite recipes that I want to try.

I’ll select one in each book by the end of the weekend to try out sometime soon – hopefully within the next couple weeks.

Sis was itching for some Indian food, so she took the fam out to a local Indian buffet lunch at Handi Indian Cuisine.

I love a good Indian buffet. I normally don’t love buffets because I don’t usually eat much in one sitting, so they’re not really cost effective for me, but I do love how you can sample so many flavors. I think this is important if you’re trying out a cuisine you’re unfamiliar with. Go in, sample a little bit of everything, find something you love, note it down, order it next time.

One thing I really enjoy about Indian food is how there are always so many good vegetarian options. I’m not vegetarian, but I do enjoy vegetarian meals.

And as much as I’d like to identify everything on my sampling plates, I don’t know most of what I ate so I’ll just post photos.

And tell you that it was all delicious.

I love how much of a treat Indian food is. I don’t know if it’s just the unfamiliar flavors, but Indian food helps spice up my eating life with a change from the usual. The flavors and textures are just all so different from what I’m used to eating.

I tried 2 desserts – one a ball of dough in a cinnamon syrup and one a cheese dessert that I had at the vegetarian Indian restaurant I visited awhile back.

I even got a mango lassi to-go. They’re too delicious to resist.

The fam and I enjoyed the beautiful weather wandering around town again.

We even hit up a local cooking supply store where I found some cool stuff to buy.

PS Do you like my Fourth of July dress? It’s red white and blue!

Anywho, here’s what I got: turquoise placemats and napkins – on the sale rack! Score! I wanted to buy all the ones they had for sale but settled on 4 of each.

I just took about a 1 1/2 hour nap, which means I must be more tired than I think!

The rest of our Fourth celebrating will probably continue to be low-key…yay! I think I’m going to whip up a tempeh dish for my parents – probably this one again. Ooh, and mom’s making peach cobbler with those peaches we picked yesterday…Hazzah!

***

Happy Independence Day everyone!

For my American friends out there, does everyone remember singing your patriotic songs growing up? It’s been years since I have! There are so many good ones…it seems a shame to rarely hear them any more.

I remember when I was about twelve, an older girl I skated with had a program to Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA and near the end when there’s the big drum beat, she’d do a jumping split that I always thought was so cool.

And remember America?

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

***

What are you doing to celebrate the Fourth?

Mom requested Chinese for her Mother’s Day meal, so we happily obliged.

We headed to Lieu’s Chinese Bistro upon the parentals’ recommendation.

Dad, sis, and I shared some hot white tea.

I had an egg drop soup (this version had chicken in it).

We shared spring rolls and I had a little bite.

We also got some pork, pan-fried dumplings to share, and I had one. I love dumplings, but I’m finding myself liking pork less and less.

We got 3 entrees to share among the four of us.

Moo Shu Chicken (I talked the parents out of pork…hehe) – I had one roll of this. I love the sweet-savory flavors of this one.

We also got ginger broccoli chicken with brown rice. I wish I would have tasted more of the ginger, but it was still pretty good.

And for our third entree, we got the Singapore noodles with shrimp. I really liked the curry flavor of the noodles.

My fortune – “Consolidate rather than expand business projects in the near future.” Guess I need to tone down my idea brainstorming, eh?

Lookie what I found at my parents’ house! Oh yea – my old-school camera. I used to carry this thing around with me everywhere! See, I’ve always loved photography.

Here’s where the film would go. Wow, when’s the last time you used a film camera!?

There was a man at the art show yesterday who did nature scenes. He shot all his photos in film. He said it’s the only way to get the full detail.

Here’s a photo I took when I was in fifth grade during my extra-credit photography class. Ok, it didn’t help our grades, but it was an extra class that we had the option to take. This photo won “Photo of the Year”!! I was so honored!

Did you guess which bowl I got yesterday?

Not this one…this is my sister’s bowl. I talked her into getting a handmade bowl, too. They’re so special to use!

She made some chocolate rice just so I could take a photo of her bowl with food in it. Thanks sis!

(may I add, I wanted a bowl in this shape, but couldn’t fork out the dough for two handmade bowls. Not when I have…I dunno, curtains to buy? hubby would probably not be happy)

Sis actually has the same Anthro bowl that I have, which is the one she used to serve my dessert. Mmm…chocolate rice is so good!

Mom loaded me up with lots of plants for my garden back home – great for Project Yard Beautification & Project Organic Garden!

All this stuff took up my entire trunk! Rosemary, dill, mint, basil, thyme, chives, sage, impatiens, and a dragon begonia.

I got home around 6:30 so I went ahead and planted the stuff I was going to plant (I’m leaving some of the herbs in pots permanently and some temporarily while I test out different locations in my yard).

I moved the mint inside the veggie garden. It’s a pest deterrent. I left it in the pot, though, because it spreads like crazy! We can’t have it taking over the garden now can we?

It’s funny whenever I get a bunch of plants, they look like so much when I’m leaving the store with them or setting them out in a group to plant. Once I spread them out, they look like nothing! I’m hoping they grow up quick and share lots of blooms with us. Our yard could definitely use some more color!

As for the bowl I got…I actually got TWO! And, I sort of asked a trick question. When I posted the photo of the wall of bowls, this one was already taken down! Sneaky, sneaky!

I bought these two fabulous, HANDMADE, sea foam green bowls at the craft show yesterday. I’m not sure they’ll photograph particularly well, but I sure do love the color!! When I was shopping the art show, I first picked up the larger sized bowl and noticed a girl holding the matching, mini one at the other side of the booth. I could only hope she would put it down and as luck would have it…she did! When I noticed the chick moving about the booth without the bowl, I bee-lined for the basket where it was located and found it. Phew! Close call! This was the only mini bowl left and the larger sized one was the only one in that color. All the bowls were one-offs.

Hubby and I had a pizza dinner and caught up on Flash Forward before I got to work on a web project. Busy, busy! Guess I do need to consolidate like the fortune says! lol

Guess I’d better hit the sack. Big week ahead!

By the way, I am MUCH better at taking pictures of things (like food) than people. I didn’t take any photos of mom today!! I suck! I did find this picture of dad and mom from when we went blueberry picking last summer (click). Fun times!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the fabulous moms out there!

I don’t know about you but I appreciate mine more and more every year!

What’s your favorite trait of your mom? I think I love my mom’s kindness.

So, where did we leave off earlier?

Ah yes, I was working on a top secret dessert involving mixed berries!

Did you figure out my dessert? Add in a homemade tart shell…

You guessed it! FRUIT TART! Not just any fruit tart – a vegan AND gluten free fruit tart.

I found the recipe in Clean Food – it’s the Mixed Berry Tart.

I definitely sampled the cider while I was baking and it was gooooo! Very, very sweet but great! I’m looking forward to drinking more of this later in the week, though I rarely drink juices.

Anywho, on to tonight!

(couldn’t pick between the pictures, so I used both! hehe…don’t the girls look fabulous in their dresses?!)

Hubby and I were invited over to Emily and Casey’s house to have Easter dinner with them and Kath and Matt!! So, after the dessert was ready, we headed over to meet our friends.

Kath greeted me with a yummy Pom Mocktail.

There were fresh flowers all over!

We sipped mocktails…

…cooked food…

…chit-chatted…

…and snacked on yummy food!

Kath and Matt brought over handmade honey whole wheat baguette slices, toasted in the oven, with a yummy cilantro/pistachio dip.

Here’s the photo I took.

And here’s what Kath and I look like taking our food photos! Thanks for the photo Emily!

The table – all set and waiting for food and friends.

Ta-da!

Our centerpiece – an adorable bread bunny complete with Easter eggs! The bunny is really Great Harvest bread with Virginia rolls…mmm.

We had lots of yummy vegan and gluten-free eats on the menu for our fabulous Easter dinner.

Asparagus + Chard Risotto with fresh herbs.

Millet Salad with corn and tomato.

Split pea soup.

Plus the bunny bread!!

Our friends…

Casey + Emily

Matt + Kath

Me + Hubby (thanks for the photo Kath!)

I got a little bit of everything – the split pea soup…

…the risotto, the millet salad, and even a bread bunny leg.

Dinner was fabulous – filling but light. Everything was so tasty!! I’m so thankful for such talented foodie friends!

Then, it was on to dessert!

My vegan + gluten-free fruit tart.

Photographing dessert (thanks again for the photo Kath!)

I must say, I’ve never made this recipe before, so I was really worried I may just blow the whole thing! lol I was kind of upset that the topping bubbled up so much, but I was mostly worried that the crust may crumble apart or the topping may not taste good.

Thankfully, the tart stayed together nicely. Phew!

And for the taste test….

DEE-licious! Phew again!

The crust had an almost molasses taste to it from the teff flour. The berry topping was perfection – sweet but not too sweet. I loved it and would serve this to any one – vegan or GF or not. Total yummers!

After our most-awesome Easter dinner, hubby and I came home and took Bailey for a walk.

I also decided to sample another Nicobella vegan truffle. Full review to come, but this flavor was an excellent pairing of fruit and chocolate. Yum!

Big thanks to Emily, Casey, Kath, and Matt for a wonderful evening with friends! Special thanks to Emily and Casey for hosting! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Such a fun weekend, even though I was a bit under the weather. First hubby’s beer brewing party with Matt (click), then soaking up the sun at lunch, and now tonight! Feeling very blessed right now.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Reader question: Did you do anything special for Easter dinner? If not, if you could pick any color for an Easter egg, what would it be?

I know a lot of people think that Valentine’s Day is a made-up and useless holiday, but I love it! I don’t care where it came from – it’s an excuse to decorate the house in red and pink and indulge in sweet treats and romance.

I love to try to do thoughtful and unique things to celebrate holidays and figured it may be a good idea to share some ideas with you, my dear readers.

So, I bring you…

Five Sweet Things to Do for Your Valentine/Sweetheart <3

1. Breakfast in Bed: Make your sweetie breakfast in bed – I loved the Martha Stewart idea of doing a fried egg in toast in the shape of a heart. Click to learn more about how to make a romantic breakfast in bed. Include his favorite breakfast foods.
2. Handmade Valentine: Craft a handmade Valentine for your significant other – go crazy with red, pink, and heart-shaped patterned scrapbook papers, doilies, and glitter – have fun. Send your valentine to your SO at work – it will be a welcome surprise.
3. Sweet Treats: Bake your sugar some heart-shaped cookies or other Valentine’s themed treats – Make heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorate them in red/pink icing with sprinkles. Or, bake cupcakes with pink icing or take them a step further with these Martha-inspired heart-topped chocolate cupcakes.
4. Notes of Affection: Tuck away several short, one-sentence notes of affection in your honey’s wallet, briefcase, pocket, car or anywhere else he’ll stumble upon them throughout the day.
5. Love Letter: Write your Valentine a love letter. Hand-write it. List out 5 things you adore and/or value about them. They’ll feel loved and appreciated.

~ *** Happy Early Valentine’s! *** ~

A couple of days ago, one of my all-time favorite Everyday Italian shows came on – Breakfast. The one where she makes the Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls, Mini Egg Frittatas, and Spiked Coffee drinks. I knew immediately that I wanted to make that meal on my vacay. I love from-scratch baked goods but don’t typically allow myself the time to make such treats decided, but what better way to kick off 2010 than with a delicious brunch!

Hubby and I searched TWO grocery stores for frozen white bread dough, but found none. I figured any white-bread style dough would do, so we picked up a box of Pillsbury Hot Roll mix.

First thing this morning, I got started on brunch. I knew it would take awhile to make what with the “let the bread rise” steps, so there wasn’t time to lounge around.

I used a combination of the box recipe and Giada’s Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls recipe.

For the Cinnamon Rolls: Follow box directions for cinnamon rolls. To sugar mixture, add toasted, chopped hazelnuts (about 1/3 cup – 2/3 cup) and 1/4 tsp cloves. Instead of using warm margarine, I used melted Earth Balance, which I brushed over the dough before sprinkling the sugar mixture down. I also made a double-batch of Giada’s icing instead of the one on the box.

I wanted to have one cup of coffee and wanted that cup to be enjoyed with breakfast, so I sipped on organic yerba mate tea whilst working on the cinnamon rolls.

Hazelnuts! I had these stowed away in the freezer.

I cut the dough and placed the rolls in the baking dish. They rose for 30 minutes while I watched a DVRed Everyday Italian for more Eat in Month inspiration.

Soon enough, they were ready to be baked!

For the Mini Frittatas: While the cinnamon rolls baked, I got the mini egg frittatas ready. I used Giada’s Mini Frittatas recipe except I cut the recipe in half and used turkey instead of ham.

Fresh-grated parm.

parsley from my potted plant.

The eggs were a cinch – especially compared to those cinnamon rolls. I used turkey since we had it in the fridge.

While my frittatas cooked, I worked on the icing for the cinnamon rolls. I used Giada’s recipe but doubled the batch of icing since the rolls made twice as many as Giada’s version.

Before I knew it, the frittatas were done!

I drizzled the rolls with the icing and put the rolls in the off, but still warm oven to help the icing get nice and gooey.

And then, everything was ready!

Hubby and I were so excited to EAT!

Round #1 – I had 3 mini frittatas and a cinnamon roll with my coffee. As a side bonus, I read somewhere that some cultures consider it good luck to eat “round things” on New Year’s day…not sure if the cinnamon rolls count, but those frittatas DEFINITELY do! Here’s to good luck!

Yowsa – they were delish! What a great way to start the year – with delicious eats! I was in heaven!

All the work in the kitchen this morning must have made me ravenous because I went for a repeat of Round #1 with Round #2.

The roll was tender and the icing was nice and sweet. I’m glad we spent the extra money for the mascarpone – it was a wonderful treat! And the frittatas were pretty awesome. I’m definitely making those again. The fresh parsley really gave the eggs a nice pop of flavor.

I enjoyed my cinnamon rolls in true Diana-style. I like to my cinnamon rolls by peeling the ring apart and working my way to the middle.

Round and round we go!

This middle part is IMO the BEST part! The most tender and sugary and most icing-covered. Mmmmmmmmm

We let Bailey get in on the brunch celebration with a mini frittata.

I made him do some tricks before I gave him his New Year’s treat and BOY did he LOVE it! He was all giddy after eating it.

We have special plans for New Year’s Dinner, but more on that to come.

Are you eating anything special for New Year’s?